Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium
Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in the south central United States, located on the campus of the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Commonly known as H. A. Chapman Stadium, it is the home field for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane of the American Athletic Conference.
Former names
Skelly Stadium (1947–2007)
Skelly Field (1930–1947)
3112 East 8th Street
University of Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
University of Tulsa
University of Tulsa
30,000 (2008–present)
35,542 (2005–2007)
40,385 (1965–2004)
19,500 (1947–1964)
14,500 (1930–1946)
May 11, 1930
October 4, 1930
History[edit]
The 14,500-seat stadium opened in 1930 as Skelly Field, named for its primary benefactor, William Skelly, the founder of Skelly Oil. Tulsa defeated Arkansas 26–6 at the inaugural game on October 4.[5]
In 1947, the north stands were added and the stadium was renamed Skelly Stadium. In 1965, the track was removed, the field was lowered, the west stands were expanded and the south stands were added, bringing the capacity to 40,385 seats. In February 2005, the north stands were demolished to make way for the new Case Athletic Complex, reducing the seating to 35,542.[5] In 2007–2008, the stadium was renovated, reducing capacity to 30,000 [6]
Located on historic U.S. Route 66, the stadium hosted the Oklahoma Outlaws of the United States Football League (USFL) in 1984. Skelly was once the principal home field for two American football legends – future NFL Hall-of-Famer (and later U.S. Congressman) Steve Largent when he played for the University of Tulsa and Doug Williams of the Oklahoma Outlaws, who later was a Super Bowl MVP for the Washington Redskins. The stadium was also home to the Tulsa Roughnecks of the North American Soccer League 1978–1984 and the short-lived Tulsa Mustangs of the AFA.
On April 26, 2007, it was reported that, with a renovation project underway, the stadium was renamed as Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium after the primary benefactor of the renovation.[7]
The stadium is also used for the Jenks–Union football rivalry games.
